The staple theory is a subset of the export-led growth hypothesis, designed to explain the growth and economic development of resource-rich economies. It is a theory that has been misunderstood and is seen to be at odds with the stylised facts of economic growth and development as well as with...

Conventional economic theory tends to support the view that there is only one sustainable path to economic development, and that economies are expected to converge in terms or real GDP per capita through the process of interregional and international trade and factor mobility. An economy's...

The Staple Theory of economic growth and development was first articulated to help explain the process of economic evolution in places with an abundance of natural resources and a relatively small population. The theory assumes that only by exporting staples products and importing manufacturing...

The hypothesis that economic freedom and related variables are significant determinants of real per capita income and growth is critically evaluated. Economic freedom is found necessary for higher levels of per capita income and growth largely in terms of threshold effects as opposed to...